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I absolutely loved my UCI experience. It is definitely a top university. Unfortunately, I feel that it may sometimes get overlooked/underrated. Your experience at UCI (and in life in general) is up to you -- you determine your path and what you take from it.

UC Irvine took me on a fantastic journey of self-discovery. I started out determined to work in urban planning. I focused specifically in community development, took some graduate level classes in demography, and supplemented my education with business and accounting classes.

During my senior year, the school of social ecology (which houses the urban studies/planning degree program) requires that students take on a field study assignment. Thanks to UCI's reputation, I was able to secure an amazing field study opportunity at a local nonprofit (that typically recruited from USC). This nonprofit was a member based organization of high net worth individuals. I had the opportunity to network with them, and attend events where I met and connected with very high profile people (US Senators and Congressmen, Governors, Foreign Dignitaries, and Fortune 500 C-Level executives). Two of the members of the organization ended up scooping me up as soon as I graduated. Then, out of no where, I decided that I wanted to relocate across the country. A senior staff member of the organization helped me to network with an individual in my new city, and it landed me my current job.

I owe the seed of my success to UC Irvine!
Though I am not directly using my degree, it has helped me tremendously. The Urban Studies program is very interdisciplinary, and training my mind to be comfortable with wearing many different hats has been invaluable in my professional development.

UC Irvine is very research focused, and it demands that its students are as well... This has been tremendously advantageous as I can dig up high quality and very valuable business information faster than the majority of my peers. Even my demography classes paid off in my current profession, and I use my community development education to help forge social media strategies.

I am very grateful to have attended such a wonderful school. I built many relationships with students AND professors, and maintain contact with them. One professor is even game to help me on my entrepreneurial path -- with securing investment money -- when I decide to embark on it.Thank you UC Irvine.

The University of California at Irvine is a wonderful institution. I have not only been challenged mentally, but emotionally. The faculty are so attentive and caring towards individual students, despite the fact that lecture sizes can be daunting. They professors I've had throughout my stay at UCI have consistently gone of out their way to help me and even socialize with me about topics that don't necessarily have to pertain to the material we learn in class.

UCI has actually been a safe-haven for me. My little sister passed away from cancer during my first quarter at UCI. I almost felt like throwing in the towel, and the UCI administration and deans were more than accommodating towards my situation. They offered me the chance to withdraw from the university, if I so wished, and guaranteed that I could return at any point in time. I did not withdraw, but their generosity and understanding was refreshing. In addition, there are a few professors who I've openly spoken to about my sister, and they even invited me over to spend time with them so that they could listen to me and try make me feel better. That's crazy! I've had a professor hug me and offer me her condolences, telling me that I could come talk to her anytime if I ever needed a confidant. I've had another professor tell me to stop by his office hours just so that we could talk about my sister. I've had another professor completely postpone one of my finals just so that I was able to be with my sister in the hospital and not have to worry about that final until the start of the next quarter! I've had so many professors and students alike reach out to me, and it has truly left me awe-struck. I half expected for nobody to care. I wouldn't have been surprised if I'd been ignored. But I wasn't ignored--I was actually taken care of and comforted by complete strangers who have no obligation to do so! A professors' job is to come into class, teach the material, assign homework, dish out tests, etc. Their job isn't to care about my feelings or make sure that I'm okay--but that's what my professors at UCI did for me. They went above and beyond, even before they knew about my situation. They were always sympathetic towards other students as well. This is one of the things that has impressed me the most.

Another impressive thing about UCI is their counseling center. I went to see one of the many psychologists there for therapy. She was very kind, compassionate, and helpful. Oh, and did I mention it's free for UCI students? If you're stressed about finals, grieving over a loss like I am, or depressed, you can go down to the counseling center, schedule an appointment, and seek the help you need.

The friends I've made at UCI are genuine and intelligent. There are quite a number of intellectuals at this school. Admittedly, not everyone's a genius, but most of the students are incredibly friendly and tend to go out of their way to help one another.

Our school may not have a football team. Yes, it's also a commuter school. But it has a lot of spirit! Plenty of students wearing UCI attire and doing the whole "Zot, zot, zot!" chant.

Compared to the other UC's, we're one of the youngest, yet we are one of the most rapidly growing universities in the nation. We are the #1 public university in the country under 50 years old. And we are consistently ranked in the top 15 of all public universities in the U.S. We're the third most selective UC in the entire UC system, right behind UCLA and Cal. Yet, rankings aside, what has really made the difference are the encouraging, positive attitudes of faculty, students, and staff. Even the cafeteria people at the freshman commons are downright cheerful to see you! You can always rely on service with a smile at UCI. You don't have to worry about people being cut-throat or overly competitive as you might in other UC's (Cal/UCLA/UCSD). There is a good vibe here. Now, that's not to say you won't come across any rotten apples--those kinds of people are at every school, unfortunately. But for the most part, the overwhelming majority of people I've met here are kind-hearted, passionate individuals bent on making a difference.

Ultimately, that's what it comes down to. UCI gives you a stellar education, yes. But they also encourage you to make a real difference in society, and not all universities preach on that. All in all, UCI has taught me a lot about my major but also a lot about what it means to be a human being, in general. The college experience, as many of you may have heard before, is what you make of it. However, I will go the extra mile and say that it helps to have a better experience if you choose a university that really speaks to you, while allowing you to develop into a better person. UCI is that university.

Don't get me wrong, our campus is beautiful and the classes are very advanced and competitive. Most of the professors would like you to come in to office hours, but the things is that it is just way too crowded, so you don't have a voice. Like everyone else here, you become a number, or a letter on a piece of paper. The counselors here could not care less about you, and though they are nice and approachable, they've seen so many other people that they don't really care about individuals anymore. They will answer your questions generically, or if they're too busy, send you a flyer and you're on your own. (especially the nursing department.)